The present invention relates to turbomachinery rotors and, more particlarly, to new and improved one-piece, single material turbomachinery rotors especially adapted for use under extreme conditions such as high rotational velocity, high impulse shock and high temperature encountered in jet engines, and a new and improved method of rotor manufacture.
Turbomachinery rotors utilized in jet engines are usually subjected to harsh extremes of environmental conditions. Temperatures encountered may reach in excess of 2500.degree. F. inducing thermal stresses and thermal degradation of rotor materials; rotational velocities can exceed 65,000 rpm, subjecting rotor materials to large centrifugal forces; and fuel combustion in such engines is frequently initiated by detonation of an explosive charge, subjecting rotor materials to high impulse forces.
One type of turbomachinery rotor used under such extreme conditions is commonly constructed of costly, scarce, and strategic metals and is formed in a series of unusually complicated milling operations to provide a desired shape, including numerous intricate passageways for conducting a cooling fluid throughout the rotor. Another type of turbomachinery rotor used under such extreme conditions is constructed of composite materials, such as fiber-matrix composites, to obtain sufficient structural integrity and durability. Frequently, the fibers are formed of materials such as graphite, steel, boron, or glass in order to obtain tensile strength, and shear strength is obtained by bonding the fibers in a matrix composed of, for example, a polymer resin or a metal. Fabrication of such rotors also often requires complex and exacting manufacturing procedures.